Weekend

I just finished my first "real" weekend here on my own. After rain and clouds every day, we had such beautiful weather Saturday and Sunday - it was perfect timing! Saturday I slept in a bit, did some writing and loafing, then rode my bike (by myself - without getting lost between the billions of trails!) around the lake. That night I was invited next door to celebrate Harry´s acceptance into a very competitive art program. He and Kristina had a barbecue next door with several friends, and they were so nice to invite me over! Granted, they may have done it out of pity, but I was so glad to relax and meet new (and younger than 40) people. :) At first I was uncomfortable and embarrassed because my German skills are still greatly lacking, but after a while people started to involve me, and most were excited to test their own English skills by having conversations. In fact, after asking me from which part of the U.S. I came, I found out that one person had studied as an exchange student in Wichita about 10 years ago. On the west side, Aunt Ann and Uncle Lorin! We talked about places we enjoyed in ol´ Wichita, and he´s planning to visit KS sometime next year for the first time since leaving so long ago. Need it be said that it´s a small world? Didn´t think so. I thought I would only show up and politely stay an hour or so, but I ended up staying from 5 until 11:30! I guess I´ve been craving some social interaction... I doubt any of these people will become my best friends or anything, but it was so good for my confidence and sanity to talk to people about things that do not involve household chores, child schedules, and street maps! I could have stayed longer, but knew I needed to wake this morning to have brunch with the family. By the sound of it (the window by my bed overlooks their backyard), everyone else stayed until nearly 3:00am!

This morning after brunch Claudia, Emmi, and I took another bike ride past her fathers and south of town to the moorlands. There was a beautiful country trail that wrapped around part of the large moor preserve, and we even rode on a smaller trail right into it for a while. The ground that we rode on was solid, but very springy. I can imagine that runners would love it! There was one place where we stopped to walk out on a boardwalk right across part of the moor. Emma Sophie made certain to tell me that while the ground around us might appear to be harmless, if I leaned too far over the edge and fell in, I would probably sink into the swampy earth and die. Good to know! Thanks, Emmi. We rode by several fields and pastures with cows and tractors that reminded me of Kansas! Who knew this place was so diverse? And just as I adjusted to the flat prairie land, we rode into the dense, tall forest that protects the moor. It was such a pleasant trip. Claudia and Emmi picked a few wildflowers that they didn´t recognize, to later look up in a book at home. It was very breezy, and normally I hate riding my bike against the wind, but for some reason today the crisp air was so refreshing. I never knew such a beautiful place existed, let alone that I would ever get to live in a place so gorgeous. Sadly, the rumor is that today was the last warm day, and will be followed now by more cold rain and clouds. So it goes. It was exciting, though, to hear the crunch of new fallen leaves under my wheels and feet and see some colors start shifting to rusty hues. Autumn is here already! Always my favorite time of year - we´ll see if it is still so! Things could be quite different here in Bordesholm than in Kansas.

We went over the weekly plan today over tea, and I´m feeling a bit less nervous about the schedule. I think getting tomorrow over with will be a relief, and I´ll be able to embrace my new routine. After taking Emmi to Kindergarten, I will go grocery shopping for the first time alone! Wish me luck. I still have no idea what I will be cooking for lunches all week. EasyMac, tuna sandwiches, carrot sticks, or spaghetti are not going to be acceptable here! They need some serious casseroles, soups (no, not from a can), vegetable medleys, etc. It will be good for me, though. I need to learn to cook. As usual, I´m panicking about nothing, and everything will be just fine. Things will only get easier after tomorrow, right? Please humor me. Of course it will get easier! *(thanks)

Well now this post is already much longer than I intended. I´d better go for now. It is 5:00 p.m. here (10:00am Kansas time!) and I have no idea what to do with the rest of my day and evening. It is still nice outside, maybe I´ll take advantage of this last bit of sunshine while I can. Until next time!
-Kate

I got lost...

... but I found a shortcut! Success!!! That´s all I wanted to say. I had the afternoon off today, so I went on a very long walk around town. I turned too soon on a street that became a dead end, but after looking closely I saw a small stone walking trail that connected ahead with the main road - directly across the road from my house! I was proud, to say the least. And lucky, because it started raining AGAIN immediately after I stepped into my doorway. There is rumor of clear skies tomorrow, though, so we´ll see. I haven´t seen a sunny day yet since I´ve been here. I love rainy weather and all... but it would be nice to see the town in actual daylight sometime.

Bike Tour

Today we a much better day than the past few, largely because Claudia showed me my bike and we went on a bicycle tour around the lake. It was about 12 km around the lake, and we drove through part of Emmi´s Forest Kindergarten. I was so proud to recognize that part of the forest! There were also incredible stone walls around an old church, with a secret tunnel that is over 600 years old where the monks could escape to the water if needed. So awesome! The church is also where Claudia´s parents were married. It was gorgeous. Such beautiful scenery, even the last bit through the town. I can tell I am really going to love Bordesholm once I grow more comfortable with getting around. Silly Kansas spoiling me with grid patterned cities... I have no idea what to do with all these winding roads, hills, and rivers! The streets are SOO narrow, it sort of terrifies me. Beautiful, though. Sorry I can´t post pictures yet (I keep forgetting my camera when I go places anyways, so it wouldn´t do us much good). This computer is set up on some sort of family network (Torsten is a mild computer freak and has about 8 computers around the house!) and I can´t really download anything. I´ll ask him about it sometime soon, but I´ve been asking for help with a lot of things lately and don´t want to overload them! Anyways, somehow this bike tour just made me feel better about things in general. It has been a rough few days, because I´m learning so much at once. In addition to a mild (and totally predictable) case of homesickness, I am really worried about Claudia leaving next week for a conference, and Torsten starting work at the same time. All on my own with the kids! I know this is what they hired me for and all... but it is so much to remember! They have been driving me all around town showing me the gym for Paul Luis´ ball practice, his friends´ houses for playdates, schools for English and other buildings for regular school, supermarkets and other stores for grocery shopping, etc. I am starting to mix them all up! I just know I am going to miss an appointment or get lost. The streets are much more confusing to me than they should be for a town this small. Tomorrow the children are going to their grandmother Yuta´s for the day, so it will be nice to figure out where she lives... just in case. I am still not completely comfortable with my surroundings, but today I saw a bit of that light. I can tell it will soon be okay, and I will eventually come to adore this place that right now makes me so uneasy. The weekend will be fun. Now that I have a bike, I am going to use my time tomorrow while Emma Sophie and Paul Luis are at Yuta´s to bike around town and learn my way around the place. I think it will help a lot. Who knows, I might even get brave and buy some tea or postcards or something! Don´t count on it... I am still a big baby! :) I´ll grow out of it soon - I already am a bit. This is the first time I have been able to write a post with a big grin on my face, rather than quivering lips and watery eyes. I feel so good about things. Well now, I should go start the hot water and find some supper downstairs. Thank you everyone for your comments, emails, prayers, etc. Take care!

Forest Kindergarten

This week Emma Sophie started to go to Forest Kindergarten. It is exactly what it sounds like - she goes to Kindergarten in the forest. It is so amazing, and adorable to see all the little ones bundled up (it is already quite cold and rainy here) in the woods. The first day Claudia and I stayed for a bit. After meeting outside the little cabin, the two teachers led the children to different trails, to dance, sing, or teach special lessons at large learning stones. We stomped through the mud across a creek and past a little clearing with cows to a very dense part of the woods, called the Fairy Tale Forest, where they sat in a shelter made of sticks and listened to a story. Mostly we just wandered around, observing everything around us and learning from the teachers. There were deer clearings on the ground, tree saplings, snails the size of kittens, and so many other interesting things for the children to learn. It never ended! One kid picked up a stick and started swinging it around. I waited for the teacher to scold him, but instead he praised the child for finding such a marvelous stick, and showed him how to slice leaves and write letters in the soil with it. I want a forest kindergarten! It is a field trip every day! They even meet outside in the snow - just bundled up a bit more. Today when we picked up Emmi, she was wearing different pants and was holding a bag of soggy clothes. No questions asked. My guess is she fell into the creek. Claudia said some parents get nervous, but she has never had any problems with Paul Luis or Emma Sophie getting sick or missing out on classroom skills and lessons. They have plenty of years ahead to sit in desks. But I think it is so important during those early years to provoke their curiosity about nature and encourage them to be active. So fantastic. I´m looking forward to driving Emmi there and back every day.

This week Claudia has been teaching me basic household duties. The list is a bit overwhelming, but I´m sure I´ll get the hang of it all once I get a routine started. I´m seriously most nervous right now about meals. I´ll serve breakfast every day - which is a very specific combination of dark breads, cheeses, marmalades, meat, cocoa, and tea. I´ll also do the shopping, and they are somewhat particular about buying healthy and mostly organic food. For lunch I´ll prepare something with a potato, meat, and vegetable about every day. How many combinations can there be? I´m going to have to get creative... any suggestions would be fantastic.

I am really starting to get to know the children well now. Paul Luis is a brilliant 6 yr-old. He is already in the 3rd grade, and most of his classmates are 8 or 9. He loves science, and his latest thing is to do magic tricks and card games. He is very sensitive, and I think he gets jealous of how easily Emmi shares her affection with me (always climbing into my lap, holding my hand, telling me how much she likes me, etc.), and feels left out. I´m going to have to come up with ways to make him feel special without making him step too far out of his comfort level. His English is wonderful, and it is amazing how much he has taught me already! He gets very upset, though, when he says something in English that I can´t understand or misinterpret. Emma Sophie is a very observant, affectionate, and often coy 5 yr-old. She is beautiful and has a wonderful gift of storytelling - her eyes get huge and scan everyone in the room as she talks melodically. She says "Oo la la" about once every minute of the day, and wants to play ring-around-the-rosie all the time. She asked what the song was about, and I said I didn´t know - it was just a silly pointless song. No need to get into that... Her English is also quite good, but right now she mixes up "he" and "she" a lot, and refers to most objects as masculine or feminine. She has an explosive temper sometimes, and will cry at the drop of a hat. I witnessed the first "ja", "nein", "JA", "NEIN" argument between the children today. I should have stopped it sooner, but it was sort of adorable! :)

I still haven´t really been trying out my limited German skills yet. I know I´ll learn faster if I start trying to say things, but I´m still too nervous to embarrass myself my saying something wrong. I will start soon, but I think I´m granted a few days to just pretend I´m shy. Right now I´m sticking with "danke"and "bitte." They´re safe. I am learning quite a bit at this point simply by observing and listening.

Well now, I should be going. It has been a big day, and tomorrow will be even longer. Keep in touch! I´m dying for some news from back home!!!

She made it!

As many of you now know, I am safe and sound in Bordesholm. The flights went well, however the sun set and began to rise again shortly before midnight, Kansas time. Just as I finally felt I might be able to sleep we were landing in Hamburg at 7:30 a.m. Torsten and Claudia picked me up, and we hit it off well immediately. I met the children when we arrived at the house, and after about 30 seconds of general shyness, they warmed up and gave me presents they had made for me that morning. Emma Sophie was already climbing onto my lap before breakfast. :) We ate a large breakfast of rolls, assortment of cheeses, meats, and marmalades, and hard boiled eggs. I had almost forgotten how much I love German breakfasts... They then brought me over to my place in the garden house. It is just perfect! The lower level contains my bathroom, kitchen, and workroom. Upstairs is one large room with my bed, computer, television, wardrobe cabinets and boxes, and balcony. They said I could have a few hours to rest and unpack before Claudia´s mother had her birthday party in the afternoon. I had good intentions to unpack, but the second I hit the bed I knew it was hopeless. I slept for a couple hours, then got ready for the party. We drove across town to the grandmother and step-grandfather´s house. The town is beautiful, and I saw the lake on the way there. I can´t wait to explore some more when it stops raining! Claudia´s brother, his girlfriend, sister, her husband, and aunt and uncle were there for the birthday. We started with teas, cakes, and treats (all homemade) in the afternoon, took a break while Claudia and her sister played a birthday song on their guitar and recorder (a tradition, I guess) while the rest of the family sang along. This was followed by a magic trick by Paul Luis that he had been preparing for, and a large dinner of lamb and potatoes. After supper Emma provided us with ballet routines to her great-uncle´s strumming on the guitar, which evolved into her interpretive dances at our request ("the swan", "tiger", etc.). To finish the evening, we lit some candles and Claudia and her sister brought our the guitar and recorder again. They played some traditional German songs and Irish reels. The children came in and took origami requests, and we spent a couple hours in a sea of paper planes, frogs, cranes, and Celtic ballads. Then to make me feel more included, they got out their songbooks with English songs, and made me sing songs like "House of the Rising Sun", "Ob-la-di, Ob-la da", and "Killing me Softly"! While a bit embarrassing, we had so much fun! I adore this family. It is good for me, because while they all speak a bit of English, they don´t spoil me with it. They converse all in German, and only occasionally translate for me if they think I might find something interesting. As we finished singing, Emmi climbed on my lap and told me she likes me more than the world! It won´t be long until I am completely wrapped around that finger. :) Soon she fell asleep, and we decided to go home. The family let me sleep in later this morning (as I´m sure they did too - it was a very late night!). It was wonderful to catch up on much needed rest. I went to the house for a late breakfast, as did their brother (also neighbor), Harald. I spent a couple hours playing and drawing with the children, and Claudia took me shopping at the super market. It felt so good to stock up my own kitchen! We came back for tea and cake, and now I have a short break before going to Harald´s for pizza. I should spend some more time unpacking now. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers! While my nerves aren´t completely dissolved yet, I am having a fantastic time and am confident that this year will be very good for me. I could not have been placed under the care of a more doting and comfortable family. I found out today that I will start language classes on the 8th of September, and will take the Bordesholm train (an 8 minute walk from our house) to the University of Kiel every Monday and Wednesday. I also might start attending au pair meetings once a month in Kiel, where they do day trips and have workshops. We´ll soon see. Everybody take care, and send me an email if you get a chance! You´ll hear more from me soon. Tschüss!

Sunflower Saga; preface

One week from today I will be settling into my new home in Bordesholm, Germany. I can hardly believe the summer has flown so quickly. I am both excited and extremely terrified, of course. Somewhere deep in the back of my mind, I still feel like I'm not actually going to do this. But it is happening! Kate's making the big move, and there is no turning back now. This summer I've been exchanging lengthy emails with the Röhl family, for whom I will be working during the next year. I will live in the top level of their garden house, while serving as a part time au pair for their two children, Paul Luis and Emma Sophie. They are adorable children, and I can't wait to meet them! The parents, Claudia and Torsten, are both physicists at the University of Kiel, and seem very personable, easy-going, and interesting. I will also be taking a German language course at the university, and hopefully a couple art classes as the year progresses.

Now what to do with this week left in Kansas? Tomorrow is my last day of work at Central Office in Clay Center. I will then pay a quick visit to Cari, sister Kristin, and possibly others in the Newton/Wichita area this weekend. After this, I will likely be overwhelmed with packing and general re-organization of my life. All of this I am sure will go very smoothly, of course... :) I think I have no idea what I'm in for! For now I'm focusing on spending quality time here at the farm with my parents and kid sister. I'm also hoping to visit my grandparents here a couple more times. Can you believe they're celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary?? Blows my mind.

Well now, I'm off for now. Until next time.